Running-Wizard

how's it going? (Read 103 times)

So how is everyone's training going? Are you following the plan, how do you feel, how many weeks til your race?

Here, I'm almost a month into it and feeling good. Have done most workouts as planned, had to downgrade a couple of runs to jogs due to weather or my being sick, but that's life. The next 3 weeks are going to bring a big increase in mileage, am looking forward to that. my left Achilles is unhappy today, which usually means it's time to roll the crap out of my calf with the trigger point roller...

Positives: I've lost 10 pounds (a few more to go!), the runs are feeling easier, muscle soreness diminishing and I'm back in the training mindset. Yes, I am that crazy mom wearing a headlamp running around the parking lot outside the sportsdome while my child practices.

Negatives: Missing workouts due to other obligations, not hitting mileage totals and really longing to do some fast paced training.

My plan calls for starting hills next week, which should be fun because my ability to run hills, though improved, still leaves a lot to be desired.

I've been meaning to post an update, so thanks for prompting, Harriet. Overall, I love it. I'm 5 weeks into a 24-week marathon training plan (Grandma's Marathon, June 22, Duluth, MN). I missed the first week due to a cold/flu thing, which we all seemed to suffer through. I jumped into week 2 of the schedule and made no adjustments for the missed week. My mileage is higher now than I thought I was willing to do at the outset -- up to about 60 miles a week now. What I thought would be difficult for me is doing relatively long runs (10+ miles) during the week. My previous plan (last summer) had me do Long runs on the weekend, but very few runs of more than about 6-8 miles during the week. This week, there were 11 and 13 mile aerobic runs (Mon and Wed), and a 10 mile out-and-back today. Tomorrow's 15 mile "Long" run doesn't seem that huge by comparison. I feel strong and not sore -- I follow the pace range and HR range suggestions pretty closely (for the most part), and believe this helps towards avoiding soreness and injuries.

I would say that the one run where I routinely ignore the pacing suggestion is the weekly Jog/Recovery runs. I run much more slowly than the suggested pace range. For some reason, I can't get my HR down to the prescribed range unless I'm almost a minute slower than the prescribed pace. Does anyone else experience anything similar? I like running this slow, and it seems to help with recovery, so I see no reason to try to stick to the suggested pace. (I use HR as the deciding parameter to follow when other parameters seem to be in conflict.)

I really like doing the Easy Fartlek runs. Most of my running has been on treadmills so far (due to weather), so the varied paces make the time on the treadmill fly by. I very much look forward to running outside again, weather permitting.

I use the Recovery Indicators, and they show up in my Calendar as "Daily Vitals." I also added plots to my Summary Page showing Resting HR, Hours Sleep, and Weight, so I can track the Recovery Indicator data over time. There have been only a couple occasions so far where it told me I wasn't quite fully recovered. I expect to see more instances of that, as well as suggested "back off" days and "take a break" days as I head into the Anaerobic Phase, but that's not for at least 8 or 9 more weeks.

JML

posted: 2/8/2013 at 2:22 PM

I am cheerfully rolling through my second training cycle based on RunningWizard. This is the last week of aerobic. I am looking forward to the hill phase and the next 14 weeks before race day. As I am only training for a 5k, it feels a bit odd to be running two double digit mileage runs per week but I am just going to go ahead and trust the plan. After all, RunningWizard helped me to crush my half marathon PR last fall so the good folks that designed it might just know more than I do!

Like last time, I am sticking closely to the plan. I missed one out and back, and shortened one 10 mile aerobic run due to the flu but I have otherwise been on track. I find myself really enjoying the runs and the aerobic paces feel quite easy at this point. It must mean that the base has been built and it is time to start hitting some faster paces again.

This weekend should be a challenge. I am sitting here watching the freezing rain slowly turn to snow. They are calling for 8-12 inches of snow. Could be a long run on the dreadmill kind of weekend.....

SubDood: I am with you on the fartleks. I do these with my running group and we take turns shouting 'surge' and picking it up for 1-3 minutes (leader's option). It is probably one of the most enjoyable runs that I have each week and it keeps me in touch with the faster paces. On the recovery run pacing, I don't think that there is anything wrong with running them more slowly than indicated in the plan. My understanding is that these types of runs are just supposed to help you oxygenate tired muscles to aid recovery. This happens as long as you are running, the pace does not really matter.

The jogs are my favorite runs. Slow! That I can do. And I agree that it doesn't matter about the pace, the point is simply recovery.

Ok, I have to confess that I have been doing the out and backs wrong, or at least not according to the instructions. The instructions are to warm up for 5 minutes, then let loose and start pushing the pace. Me, I warm up for 20 minutes, then speed up and try to run the rest progressively faster. I'm sure that's not quite the same thing. Oh, and today I got so excited about actually hitting a pace I was aiming for (doesn't happen often) that I stopped paying attention and ended up running the last km 20 sec/km faster than I was supposed to. Duhhhh. Such an amateur mistake. This is the number one thing I do wrong every single year: running tempos and intervals way too fast. At first it was because I thought faster was better. Then I learned it's not, but I still struggle with hitting the right pace.

I am loving this plan so far. my biggest challenge with it is my midweek longish run, right now it has it at ten to eleven miles, i have to get out of bed EARLY to be able to get all of that in before my hubby leaves for work, and so far nine or ten is more manageable. my long run on the weekends has also been on the low end, around fourteen....but it's not that big a deal, mostly due to the friend I run with or timing for the day.

i am also really looking forward to starting hills next week, mostly because i have done the same thing now several weeks in a row so something different appeals to me!

Ok, I have to confess that I have been doing the out and backs wrong, or at least not according to the instructions. The instructions are to warm up for 5 minutes, then let loose and start pushing the pace. Me, I warm up for 20 minutes, then speed up and try to run the rest progressively faster. I'm sure that's not quite the same thing.

That doesn't sound so wrong to me. The Out-and-Back is the fastest sustained running I do all week, and I never feel fully warmed up until I've gone at least a mile or so. So I do a 1 mile easy warm-up (usually ~12 minutes of gradually building up speed) before I start the faster paces. 5 minutes is not enough for me. So far, I've only done these runs on a treadmill, which is a great way to keep from running too fast (if you can handle the drudgery). After the warm-up mile, I set the treadmill for a "first-half speed," then bump it up at the "turnaround point" by 0.1 or 0.2 mph for the second half. I keep an eye on my heart rate and adjust my pace/speed as needed to stay within the prescribed HR range. I have the same propensity to start going too fast when I'm not paying attention -- on yesterday's Long Run (outside, a rarity for me lately), I actually daydreamed at one point, and my pace for that one mile was WAY faster than the rest. I am a person who needs a dumb machine (treadmill, HR monitor, etc.) to tell me to slow down, or I'll overdo it every time. I envy all those people who say you should run by "feel," and "listen to your body." That advice has never worked for me!

That doesn't sound so wrong to me. The Out-and-Back is the fastest sustained running I do all week, and I never feel fully warmed up until I've gone at least a mile or so. So I do a 1 mile easy warm-up (usually ~12 minutes of gradually building up speed) before I start the faster paces. 5 minutes is not enough for me. So far, I've only done these runs on a treadmill, which is a great way to keep from running too fast (if you can handle the drudgery). After the warm-up mile, I set the treadmill for a "first-half speed," then bump it up at the "turnaround point" by 0.1 or 0.2 mph for the second half. I keep an eye on my heart rate and adjust my pace/speed as needed to stay within the prescribed HR range. I have the same propensity to start going too fast when I'm not paying attention -- on yesterday's Long Run (outside, a rarity for me lately), I actually daydreamed at one point, and my pace for that one mile was WAY faster than the rest. I am a person who needs a dumb machine (treadmill, HR monitor, etc.) to tell me to slow down, or I'll overdo it every time. I envy all those people who say you should run by "feel," and "listen to your body." That advice has never worked for me!

+1 on SubDood's comment. For me, a decent warmup is required before I run at a higher effort. My out-and-back routine starts with a brisk walk that changes to a jog as I make my way to the greenway in lower Manhattan where I do much of my running. This typically takes 8-10 minutes and I arrive at the point where I start my run warmed up and ready to go. I then wake up the garmin and start the out-and-back slightly slower than the goal pace.

A little extra warmup will not hurt you at all. In fact, it may help to prevent injury.

Unfortunately, I have been injured for over 3 weeks and I may do no running this week as I'm getting some laser treatment for a sprain in the right calf. Next week it should be possible to start some running again but probably the volume will be limited. Irritating because the aerobic phase was going well before I got the sprain.

Do any of you know if there are any restrictions on stepping up the volume back to normal after laser treatment?

This week was supposed to be the first in the hill phase. I guess that if I'm lucky it will be possible to have a few weeks in this phase and then be able to run the anaerobic phase full blast. Luckily, this is a 24 week plan, so when the anaerobic phase begins, there are still 10 weeks left.

Subdood and JML - thanks for your input! I don't really REALLY feel warmed up until about an hour into it, but I usually accept 20 minutes as a minimum warmup because I don't have that kind of time I'll just keep doing what I'm doing...I guess the point, right now, is just spending some time in tempo land and it doesn't matter that much whether it's 8km or 4.

Pabstars - sorry about your sprain! Never heard of laser treatment so can't give you any feedback on that, but I assume your doctor will give you advice. I would definitely not start the hill phase right after a sprain; I think hills can be quite tough on the calves and achilles in the first weeks...

Luckily, my doctor understands my problems as he is an avid marathon runner himself. The physiotherapist is also excellent and she is very much into sports as well. She also gives me some laser treatment for my old and sore achilles tendons

I have been cycling a bit on an exercise bike. Riding 50 minutes is extremely tough and resembles nasty interval training, but it just isn't tough for the calves and achilles tendons.

...Just got out for a run today for the first time in almost two weeks...I got a little derailed, a couple of nights out and crappy weather, ah well. It felt good to get back out this morning and it was nice to see that I had not lost too much form. My body was fine but it took a little time to convince my brain that I could still run for 35mins. It is amazing how quickly you can lose that confidence!

It sounds like everyone else is doing OK. Pabstars - I hope you recover soon.

...Just got out for a run today for the first time in almost two weeks...I got a little derailed, a couple of nights out and crappy weather, ah well. It felt good to get back out this morning and it was nice to see that I had not lost too much form. My body was fine but it took a little time to convince my brain that I could still run for 35mins. It is amazing how quickly you can lose that confidence!

Good to hear you are back at it! It's amazing how days off can snowball and than it becomes such a huge hurdle to get back out.